Even as city residents are stockpiling essential commodities, wholesalers have assured that they have enough stock to last for the next four months.
“There has been a lot of panic buying in the last few days because of false messages circulating on the social media but there is nothing to worry as we have enough stocks and markets won’t be shutting,” said Tarsem Kumar, a grocery wholesaler in the city.
Stating that people are mostly going for rice, pulses and atta, besides biscuits and namkeen, Kumar said the demand from retailers is also going up. “If a retailer was purchasing 10 kilos of pulses from us, now they are coming back for more even if they purchase 50 kilos from us,” he said.
On Wednesday, a huge rush was seen at the Sector 26 wholesale market which normally doesn’t deal with the customers directly.
When asked, residents said they were stocking up non-perishable goods. Parneet Kaur, a student of Chandigarh College of Architecture, said, “She along with her family had picked up rice, flour, coffee and chips.”
DEMAND FOR SANITISER REMAINS
Meanwhile, Ajay Gulati, part-owner of Empire Stores in Sector 17, said, “With name brand sanitisers almost off the shelves, new local brands have come in. People are buying sanitisers in bulk. Though we cannot refuse the item to them under the Essential Commodities Act, we try to convince them to leave some for other customers.”
Secretary, department of food supplies and consumer affairs and legal metrology, Vinod P Kavle, said, “The department has received no complaints of hoarding. Chemists are selling sanitisers and masks at nominal rates. The deputy commissioner (DC) has also formed teams to visit the markets and ensure that there is no hoarding.”
PUNJAB BOARD PULLS OUT OF APNI MANDI
Though Punjab mandi board has decided to pull out of apni mandis in the state till March 31, UT administration officials have confirmed that apni mandis and the wholesale mandi of Sector 26 will continue. The wholesale market in the city gets its supply from all parts of the country, including Maharastra. However, the prices of these veggies are likely to start increasing.